Sants Station Stays Open All Night for Shelter

Station Offers Shelter Amid Severe Weather

Sants Station in Barcelona will remain open all night to provide shelter for stranded travellers and those unable to return home due to severe weather. The decision follows torrential rainfall on Saturday 3 October that affected train tracks and prompted transport authorities to suspend services in high-risk areas from 8:00 PM. The Ministry of Transport confirmed that water had reached three tracks at the station, though no major accumulations were reported. The hall remains under control, officials said, and the facility is being used to accommodate people who need a safe place to stay overnight while conditions persist. Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Óscar Puente shared images of the affected platforms, describing the situation as serious: "The rain falling in Barcelona is terrible. This is the situation at Sants station."

Rainfall Totals Exceed 100 Litres per Square Metre

By 10:30 PM on Saturday, several parts of Barcelona had recorded more than 100 litres of rain per square metre. The highest totals included 110 litres in Plaça de Sants, 107.6 in Can Bruixa, and 105.5 in Zona Universitària, according to data from automatic stations operated by the Servei Meteorològic de Catalunya and Meteoclimatic. In the wider metropolitan area, unofficial stations recorded even higher volumes: up to 185.4 litres in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat, where significant flooding occurred in Bellvitge and Santa Eulàlia, along with 168 litres in Cornellà de Llobregat and 157 in Sant Feliu de Llobregat. Accumulations exceeded 150 litres in other municipalities including Sant Joan Despí and Esplugues de Llobregat. Meteocat has raised precipitation warnings to level 6 out of 6, the maximum alert, across 17 counties, warning of storms capable of delivering over 40 litres per square metre in just 30 minutes.

Mobility Restricted Across 20 Catalan Counties

The Generalitat has imposed strict mobility restrictions from 8:00 PM Saturday until 2:00 PM Sunday in around 20 counties due to the risk of flooding. These include Barcelonès, Baix Llobregat, Garraf, Maresme, Vallès Occidental, and Tarragonès, among others. Under the order, non-essential travel is discouraged, outdoor activities are suspended, and teleworking is required wherever possible. Sports, cultural events, markets, fairs, and educational activities have been halted during the period. An ES-Alert was sent to mobile devices in affected areas to inform residents. Protecció Civil warned the situation may worsen overnight into Sunday morning, particularly in low-lying and flood-prone zones. The Inuncat emergency plan has been activated in response to the exceptional rainfall episode.